Fear of cancer recurrence and quality of life among gynaecological cancer survivors under treatment

Abstract

Fear of recurrence is one of the psychological problems that affects the quality of life for gynaecological cancer survivors. This study aims at analysing the relationship between fear of cancer recurrence and quality of life in survivors of gynaecological cancer during treatment.

This study uses a descriptive correlation analysis approach with a cross-sectional design. The number of samples was 158 participants. Data were collected by using PSWQ and EORTC QoL-C30. The results show that the fear of cancer recurrence has a negative correlation with the quality of life of survivors of gynaecological cancer. It was shown that when their fear of cancer recurrence increases, their quality of life decreases. Fear of recurrence experienced by cancer survivors is closely related to their quality of life. Nurses have an important role in reducing fear of recurrence for cancer survivors through adequate information and education to prevent their fear of cancer recurrence.